1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and an image processing system for scanning an original document and generating image data, and creating an electronic file based on the image data, and more particularly to an image processing apparatus and an image processing system for protecting copyrights of original documents such as cut (disassembled) books.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is known a technology of creating an electronic file of a book, by disassembling a book with a cutting machine, continuously scanning the pages of the book with an image scanning device capable of double-sided scanning, generating image data, and converting the image data into an electronic file format having high portability (such as PDF (Portable Document Format) of Abode).
However, the problem of protecting the copyright of a book arises. Making a personal copy of a book by performing the above method to create an electronic file of the book does not correspond to copyright infringement. Furthermore, it is not illegal to subsequently sell the cut (disassembled) book to a second-hand bookstore. Thus, the act of repeatedly creating electronic files from a cut book that has been resold by net-auction cannot be prevented legally or technically.
Conventionally, there is an image processing apparatus described in patent document 1, as a device for preventing a document that has been scanned once from being scanned again. This image processing apparatus has a function of recording, on a sheet that has been scanned, a special mark indicating that the sheet has been scanned (scanned mark), and a function of determining whether the special mark is recorded when scanning a sheet and preventing the sheet from being scanned if the special mark is recorded.
When a cut book is scanned by this image processing apparatus and the cut book is resold, the cut book can prevented from being scanned again by using this image processing apparatus. Therefore, an electronic file can be prevented from being created again from the cut book that has been resold. However, even in a case of creating personal copies of a book that is not protected by copyright, an electronic file can be created only once. Thus, if the electronic file has been lost or if an electronic file was not successfully created due to an error of the image processing apparatus, no other electronic files could be created if the scanned mark has been applied to the sheet.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 3412441